Easy Enchiladas

Originally posted April 20, 2008 – This post update is long overdue. The original photos on this recipe were pretty atrocious – I even posted them as a “Bad Photo Sunday” series I used to do a long time ago. And these Easy Enchiladas deserve a new chance in the spotlight. I did change the recipe just slightly from the original recipe and I added in some enchilada sauce. It is definitely worth the few extra calories that sauce brings – you still end up under 450 calories per serving. And you can’t beat that these are easy enough to make on a weeknight!

The original post from 2008 follows:

I don’t normally post on the weekends, but I’ve been going through my photos and realized that I have quite a few dishes that I have not posted about that are gathering dust. This one, for instance, is from back in February, and I have some that are even older. So why haven’t I posted about them? Well, I don’t like the photos!! Most of my photos are not anything compared to some bloggers out there, but I don’t ever want the photo to scare people away from making a recipe, thinking that it doesn’t look that great, so it probably doesn’t taste that great. In fact, some of my worst photos are of some of the most tasty things I’ve made – mostly because we couldn’t wait to eat while I tried to make it look it’s best!

So now, I’m going to try doing a “Bad Photo Sunday” so that I can post some of these recipes.

I am an enchilada fan. I used to make them a lot – especially on those throw-something-together nights, because you can basically do just that – throw them together. That being said, most of the enchiladas I make are not authentic Mexican, but delicious nonetheless. These were no exception. I was a little worried about them when I started them, though. They come from a Weight Watchers cookbook, and they contain no enchilada sauce. This is something I am used to having, so they seemed a bit dry going together. So when we sat down to eat and discovered that we both really liked them, it surprised us! As written, there is still 400 calories per enchilada, and even though they were good, I would still consider adding a few more calories and pouring some enchilada sauce over the top. (*NOTE – the updated recipe does have the enchilada sauce added – it’s definitely worth adding!)

Easy Enchiladas

Filled with sausage, beans and veggies, these Easy Enchiladas are easy enough for a weeknight.These enchiladas are mild enough for the whole family!

Author:Deborah

Prep Time:15 mins

Cook Time:45 mins

Total Time:1 hour

Yield:6 servings

Category:Main Dish

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 pound sweet Italian pork sausage

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes

1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup pinto beans, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper to taste

8 (6-inch) whole-wheat flour tortillas

1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce

1/2 cup shredded Monterey-Jack cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.Spray a 9×13” baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.Add the sausage, bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring frequently and breaking up the sausage.Cook until the sausage is browned and the vegetables are soft, 6-8 minutes.Add the chili powder and cumin and cook for 1 minute.Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, and pinto beans.Season to taste with salt and pepper.Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Spread about 1/3 of the can of enchilada sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.Place a tortilla in the dish and spoon some of the filling down the center of the tortilla.Roll up and push to the side of the dish.(The outside of the tortilla will now be coated in the sauce.)Continue with the remaining tortillas and filling, rolling the enchiladas in the sauce as the dish gets fuller.

Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the top of the rolled enchiladas.Top with the cheese.Bake until the enchiladas are heated through and the cheese is melted, 30-35 minutes.Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

This is a great idea and I wish I thought of it first! Some of my favorite dishes are ones that aren’t very photogenic, and I usually don’t even bother trying. But your idea to celebrate those dishes is wonderful. I love it!

I think they look good but that’s a good weekend thing to start. You could be like weekend herb blogging and have people host. The dishes that they make will never go to waste becuase of the ugly photo!

I looove sausage, but haven’t eaten it since before I had my gallbladder removed because I usually can’t stomach the fat-content. Do you know if the turkey sausage you used is lighter? I am looking for an alternative, I have a craving! 🙂

hi deborah, like you i get frustrated when i’ve cooked something i absolutely love and then feel that the photos don’t do them justice. but then, we’re here for scrumptious food and recipes-not just photos!that enchilada looks like real food to me and i bet it was delish.

Oops. I see it is in your original post. 400 per enchilada, hmmm. I like the idea of adding a sauce, I don’t think it would add that much more calories. It might add more nutritional value, especially if it was a tomatillo sauce.

Hi- I found your blog and this enchilada recipe because I was looking for a way to use turkey sausage in a low calorie/point way. I am doing the weight watchers program and was excited to find this recipe. I know you gave the calorie content, but do you remember the points value? I could figure it myself if you could tell me the fat and fiber content?